by Kraig Kleeman

After a long week of in-person consulting and training at a client location, my iPod’s collection of Rolling Stones music has been soothing to my soul. Especially on those Friday night airplane rides back to Chicago! The bad boys of rock, without a doubt, have brought me a lot of inspiration over the years.

Speaking of music – I have discovered a new hobby this past year: searching for re-makes of great rock tuneage that have withstood the test of modern-rock time. Thanks to iTunes and Wikipedia, I have built quite the playlist. My criteria for download selection are simple: First, I must love the song (subjective, I know). Second, musically, the re-make must be at least as good, if not better than the original artist’s recording. Third, the re-make must take on a character and composition that is uniquely its own. I can usually make a good decision from the demo function of iTunes along with my prior research. One of my ATF re-makes is a Rolling Stones tune named Gimme Shelter re-made and recorded by a relatively obscure hard rock band named Holy Soldier. If you’re a Stones fan, this particular re-make is a must-have!

Released in 1969 and inspired by television and news images of war-torn Viet Nam, Gimme Shelter was a combined piece written by Jagger and Richards. The lyrics of the song speak of seeking shelter from a coming storm, painting a picture of devastation and social apocalypse. The hard truth is that the world had never seen anything like Viet Nam, and the tune’s lyrics and sound both reflect the angst and pain associated with the era.

Oh, a storm is threatening my very life today
If I don't get some shelter, Oh yeah, I'm gonna fade away

War, children, it's just a shot away, It's just a shot away;
War, children, it's just a shot away, It's just a shot away

Ooh, see the fire is sweepin, Our very street today
Burns like a red coal carpet, Mad bull lost its way

In my line of work, I find that a storm threatens the very life of many companies from growing and reaching true depth and potential. It’s the storm of poor selling behavior. This deficiency manifests most in the realm of prospecting, cold-calling, and pipeline development. I continue to be amazed as to how many gutless executives and company owners refuse to invest the time, energy, and money to get some shelter from the storm of poor selling technique. Especiallly as it relates to cold-calling and pipeline building.

My words to such spineless executives originate from a few other great Stones tunes...
Before you get Exiled on Main Street, and your job or company gets Shattered, you may want to consider The Must-React System to address your team's prospecting and cold-calling deficiencies so as to Start You Up in such a way that it will never, never stop!

*NOTE: To receive Kraig's top ten rock re-make list, please send him an email request at kraig@blairegroup.com. Simply type the word re-make list in the subject line and Kraig will forward it to you!

 

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The Rolling Stones